The pleasures of political humour in Australian democracy

Abstract

Political humour is ubiquitous and ancient yet it does not fit with the civility and rationality demanded by the Habermasian public sphere. This incongruity is evident in nineteenth and early twentieth century Australia where political humour was aggressive and malicious, not only in parliament but also in unruly public gatherings. This article argues that politicians used humour to stir emotions which are at odds with ideas of rational political discourse but which are connected to issues of democratic credibility, justice, desert and entitlement. Crucially, politicians used humour in their strivings for credibility and character, known as ethos in rhetoric, and in their struggles to degrade the ethos of opponents through ad hominem. A common trope of character assassination amongst politicians and public alike is the stereotype of the disreputable politician, which appears in much political humour. The article concludes by asserting that the stereotype functions as one of the measures of public accountability of the political elite that is necessary to representative democracy.